It is officially a brand-new year. For me, and probably a lot of you, it is a time of reflection—a time to look back on the past year and mark all the milestones, good and bad. I know for many, 2016 was a rough year for lots of different reasons. And, rather than focus on any of those negative things from last year, which will be different for anyone anyway, I thought I would turn your attention to the good things. After all, the whole point of this blog is to focus on God and Good.

If you don’t keep a journal or some sort, it might be more difficult for you to remember everything that happened to you over the last year. But, I would think that the good things will stand out. If not, and you are on Facebook, you can always look at the video that Facebook puts together for you. I found mine to be a great tool that reminded me that 2016 was a nice year overall. I had two little precious baby cousins born this year; Avery in April and Addison in August. Paul and I celebrated our four-year wedding anniversary at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios in Orlando. Then, Paul and I traveled to Hilton Head to hang out on the beach for a few days in observance of my birthday. My family celebrated the 70th birthday of my dad and the 75th birthday of my aunt, Diane. My two best friends, Niki and Jennifer, and I took a road trip to Savannah for a much-needed girl’s weekend. I renewed my dedication to this blog. For Christmas, Paul and I spent some time on the beautiful shores of Punta Cana. And, I started working on plans for a project that I hope will grow legs at some point this year. Not bad, if I do say so myself!

While it is usually easy to remember the “big” things in life, often the “small” things can slip through the cracks without much notice. But, the small things are vital to our daily, often hum-drum lives. The small things are usually those unexpected things that make us smile. These little things that make us smile can get us through our long days. So, these small things really do add up to big things. Why not start writing them all down? I find that I remember things more clearly if I write them down.

So, this year, to make all the good things easier to remember for 2017, I am going to start a Joy Journal. I suggest you do too. Writing down all the good things that happen to you each day, or even each week can be a wonderful way to bring contentment to your life. And, who doesn’t want more of that?

If you want to be a more happy, joyful person start being thankful for all the good things in your life. Stormie Omartin has this valuable and true quote, and I have to share: “One of the ways we can learn to completely trust that God is a good God is to praise him for his goodness. Every time we do, it opens the channels through which that particular aspect of his nature is poured into our heart. The more you praise God for his goodness, the more you will see it manifested in your life. That’s the hidden power of praise. You will be amazed when you pray this way how God will open your eyes to see things you haven’t seen before.”

So, start paying more attention to the small things that happen each day that bring you joy. Write them down. Remember to thank God for them. I honestly believe that by doing this, you can make your life better. Each small joy is a gift. Each time you write a joyful moment down, you will see the previous entries and they can bring you joy all over again. And, after a few weeks of doing this, you will be amazed at all the wonderful entries!